Time: minutes. Additional Resources:

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1 Topic: Time: Grade: Core: Ratification of States minutes 5 5: Objectives: 1. Students will learn, in order, the names of states that ratified the Constitution. 2. Students will become acquainted with some of the conflicts involved in the ratification process. Procedure: 1. Before the lesson, prepare Handout 1 by blowing it up to bulletin board size. 2. Tell the story of the handout and help the students remember which symbol in the story fits each state. Through the discussion, point out the following bits of history. Nine states were needed to ratify. What does ratify mean? Delaware was the first to ratify, in less than three months. Great compromises took place Slavery Big government - federal v. state Position of Federalists and Anti-Federalists. Where were they from? New Jersey plan for small states. New Hampshire was ninth to ratify on June 21, Large states, New York and Virginia, were slow to ratify. The Bill of Rights was necessary. Rhode Island refused to sign until the Bill of Rights was added. 3. When completely finished, have the children repeat the names using the picture as a clue. 4. Have them memorize the order by closing their eyes and repeating the states names to a partner. 5. In the presentation, word strips with states names may be put on the chart to help with remembering the order. 6. Handouts 2, 3, and 4 give additional information about the convention and ratification. Additional Resources: Author: Gloria Skanchy 149

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3 HANDOUT 1 BRAIN POWER Can you remember this story? Can you memorize it and repeat it perfectly? If you can, you have memorized the original 13 colonies, and you will never forget them. And, you will have memorized them in the order in which they became states. The Story: Picture a great big bowl of Delaware punch. A big pen stabs right through the bowl. At the tip of the pen stands a Jersey cow. On the cow s back stands George Washington. George s hand is stretched out holding two balloons. His hand connects a balloon showing a mass of clouds and a balloon showing a picture of a girl named Mary. Mary is thinking of driving her Southern car, with a new ham in it, to her Aunt Virginia in New York. There, she will trade her old car for a Northern car and get back on the road Delaware punch: Delaware 2. Pen: Pennsylvania 3. Jersey cow: New Jersey 4. George Washington: Georgia 5. Connects: Connecticut 6. Mass of clouds: Massachusetts 7. Mary: Maryland 8. Southern car: South Carolina 9. New Ham: New Hampshire 10. Aunt Virginia: Virginia 11. New York: New York 12. Northern car: North Carolina 13. Road: Rhode Island 151

4 HANDOUT 2 TABLE OF DATES 1774 The First Continental Congress, a committee of colonists, meets to consider taking action against unfair British rule. Writes and adopts a Declaration of Rights for the colonies American Revolution begins with fighting at Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts. First meeting of the Second Continental Congress Declaration of Independence from Britain is adopted by the Second Continental Congress Second Continental Congress creates the Articles of Confederation, a set of laws for governing the new states Articles of Confederation become the law of the land. Last battle of the Revolution ends at Yorktown, Virginia, when British surrender to General George Washington United States and Britain sign Treaty of Paris to end the American Revolution Disputes arise between the thirteen states Convention is held in Annapolis, Maryland, to discuss problems between the states. Delegates plan a convention of the states in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Delegates to the Philadelphia convention write the United States Constitution to replace the Articles of Confederation. Constitution is signed in September and ratified by three states by December Constitution is ratified by six more states and becomes law on June George Washington is elected first President of the United States. Bill of Rights is written Virginia is the eleventh state to approve the Bill of Rights, making it part of the Constitution. NOTES ON THE CONNECTICUT COMPROMISE Delegates from small states objected to the Virginia Plan because it called for more congressional representatives from large states than from small states. The members from small states wanted each state to have the same number of representatives in the government so that all the states would have equal power. Delegates from large states objected to the New Jersey Plan because they did not think all the people would be represented fairly if each state had an equal number of representatives in Congress, regardless of the size of the state s population. William Samuel Johnson, Roger Sherman, and Oliver Ellsworth, the delegates from Connecticut, helped lead the way to a compromise that was fair to all the states. Called the Connecticut Compromise or the Great Compromise, the plan divided Congress into two houses: an Upper House, called the Senate, to which each state would send two senators chosen by its state legislature; and a Lower House, called the House of Representatives, where the number of delegates from each state would be determined by the population. These delegates would be elected by the people. A state s population was held to the number of free men plus three-fifths of its slaves. Later amendments to the Constitution abolished slavery and gave every adult, regardless of race or sex, the right to vote. 152

5 HANDOUT 3 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THE CONVENTION AND THE DELEGATES The average age of the delegates was fortythree. Benjamin Franklin, at eighty-one, was the oldest. Jonathan Dayton, the youngest, was twenty-six. Twenty-one delegates had fought in the Revolutionary War, eight had signed the Declaration of Independence, and seven were or had been governors of their states. Gouverneur Morris, James Wilson, James Madison, and Roger Sherman spoke more often than anyone else at the convention. Delegates who argued for a strong central government included James Wilson, Charles C. Pinckney, and Gouverneur Morris. William Paterson, John Dickinson, and Luther Martin sided with those in favor of individual and states rights. The Committee of Detail wrote a rough first draft of the constitution. John Rutledge, Edmund Randolph, Nathaniel Gorham, Oliver Ellsworth, and James Wilson served on this committee. The Committee of Style and Arrangement polished the first draft, putting the wording into its final form. The committee members were Gouverneur Morris, Alexander Hamilton, Rufus King, William Samuel Johnson, and James Madison. New Hampshire could not afford to advance expense money to its delegates. In late June, John Langdon and Nicholas Gilman decided to go to the convention anyway. They didn t reach Philadelphia until late July, when most of the debates were over. George Mason, Edmund Randolph, and Elbridge Gerry voted against the Constitution and refused to sign it. If a bill of rights had been included, they might have signed. Rhode Island sent no delegates to the convention and had no signers. ORDER AND DATES OF RATIFICATION OF THE CONSTITUTION Delaware December 7, 1787 Pennsylvania December 12, 1787 New Jersey December 18, 1787 Georgia January 2, 1788 Connecticut January 9,1788 Massachusetts February 6, 1788 South Carolina May 23, 1788 New Hampshire June 21, 1788 Virginia June 25, 1788 New York July 26, 1788 North Carolina November 21, 1789 Rhode Island May 29, 1790 Maryland April 28,

6 HANDOUT 4 RESULTS OF THE VOTING IN THE STATES Yes, Unanimous Georgia All votes for Unanimous Yes South Carolina 149 for, 73 against Easy vote No North Carolina 84 for, 184 against Lost Yes Virginia 89 for 79 against Close vote Yes Maryland 63 for, 11 against Easy vote Yes, Unanimous Delaware All votes for Unanimous Yes Pennsylvania 46 for, 23 against Easy vote Yes, Unanimous New Jersey All votes for Unanimous Yes New York 30 for, 27 against Close vote Yes Connecticut 128 for, 40 against Easy vote No Rhode Island 137 for, 278 against Lost Yes Massachusetts 187 for, 168 against Close vote Yes New Hampshire 67 for, 47 against Close vote 154